


Take a Break

by turtlesparadise



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 13:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5542376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtlesparadise/pseuds/turtlesparadise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dedicated scientist Lucrecia Crescent has become a bit of a workaholic; the new Turk assigned as her bodyguard reminds her to take some time to take care of herself, and the two strike up the beginnings of a friendship.  </p>
<p>Gift-fic for lucrxcia for the SilverElite Secret Santa holiday exchange on Tumblr.  I hope you enjoy!  This is a bit of a 'how they met' interpretation which I hope is somewhat feasible and doesn't stray from canon overly much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Break

She was seated on a stool in the lab, bent over a Bunsen burner, her hair pulled up tight in a bun – Lucrecia didn’t want any mishaps with her hair catching fire, after all – safety goggles on as she worked.  The scientist had been at her work for many hours, analyzing a shard of some strange materia that had been discovered in the Northern continent.  Its properties were unlike anything she’d ever seen before.

Lucrecia heard the door open, then shut; she barely looked up, but smiled as she caught sight of her guest, out of the corner of her eye. 

“Vincent.  Hello!”   She stood fully now, pulled the gloves off of her hands and smoothed the folds of her skirt, quite wrinkled beneath her lab coat.  Lucrecia had been working for twelve hours straight with barely any breaks; she was close, so close to something – she didn’t know what, just yet, but she couldn’t stop now, not just yet.

“Lucrecia.”   The Turk gave her a small smile, and a bowed slightly.  He’d been assigned to guard her as she worked – all Vincent had been told was that it was classified, and that nobody should be allowed in or out of the lab where Lucrecia was working, save for Hojo.   Even Hollander had been banned from the lab, though that was mostly due to a falling out between him and Hojo.

Lucrecia had just wanted to work in _peace_ , and let Hojo and Hollander sort things out amongst themselves.  She’d only just gotten to know Vincent, who seemed to Lucrecia to be surprisingly warm and caring, beneath a stiff and seemingly aloof exterior.

“You’ve been working very hard, Lucrecia,”  Vincent murmured, stepping forward.   He’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and though she spoke with excitement over the progress she’d been making – never giving Vincent any specific details of course, just speaking in generalities -  Vincent was mildly concerned.  She was an adult, she could take care of herself, of course – but at the moment, Lucrecia wasn’t, she was deeply involved in her work and forgetting to eat, not getting enough sleep.  It was starting to catch up with her, as loathe as she was to admit it.

“I know, Vincent – I know – but I’m just so close right now!  I can’t really stop – “   Lucrecia stifled a yawn, then smiled from behind her hand.  “Well. I do have to let this process for a bit – “

“I think you should take a small lunch break,”  Vincent murmured, revealing the paper sack he’d had tucked behind his back.    He smiled at Lucrecia, shyly.  “I brought enough for both of us.”

“Oh!  Vincent, you’re an absolute _darling_ ,”  Lucrecia blurted, cheeks reddening just slightly at the outburst endearment.   “You really shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble – “

“No trouble at all.”   He gave a small shrug and a smile, and set the paper sack full of takeaway down on an adjacent work-table, away from Lucrecia’s experiments.  “It’s nothing fancy – just some Wutaian noodles and hot pot.”

Lucrecia inhaled and sighed a bit, her stomach letting her know quite audibly, that she’d neglected it for too long.   “It smells wonderful.  Here, I’ll get some stools – “    She was still muttering to herself absent-mindedly as she crossed the room, Vincent hanging back just a bit, awkwardly.  He bit back a smile as he watched her

“Here – let me get that for you – “   

Lucrecia laughed, somewhat charmed by his gallantry.  It was rather refreshing, really; Vincent just seemed so old-fashioned, so chivalrous.   At first she’d thought him odd with his courtly manner and formal way of speaking, but, after some time together, Lucrecia had grown used to it.  She’d grown used to _Vincent_.

It was _nice_ , Lucrecia finally decided, having someone treat her like a human being.  Like a _woman_. 

Her bangs fell softly over her eyes, and she looked up at Vincent through them, taking seats opposite one another.  Vincent doled out the food, passed the plastic utensils and packets of condiments over to Lucrecia.  They hadn’t spent a lot of time at length together; mostly Vincent would pass through the lab while on his rounds, checking and securing the perimeter. 

“This is so _nice_ , you know?” Lucrecia said in between bites.  This was the first decent meal she’d had in a while – grabbing a quick energy bar and endless cups of coffee fueled the scientist through her busy days, but it wasn’t enough, not really.

“It is,”  Vincent replied around a mouthful of noodles.   He nodded toward the window; the sky outside was dull and gray, a constant drizzle soaking everything. It had been raining nearly every day for a week,  and the lack of sunshine was starting to feel oppressive.   “It’s too bad we couldn’t eat our lunch outside, though.”

“That would have been lovely…but this is very nice too.  As is the company.  I do want to thank you,  Vincent.”  Lucrecia patted the corner of her mouth with a paper napkin as she finished her meal.   “Not just for lunch – but you’ve been so very kind.  I’d love to return the favor sometime.”

Vincent shook his head, putting his hands up to protest.  “You don’t need to do that – “

“I know I don’t _need_ to, “  Lucrecia cut in, suddenly leaning forward, her hand falling on Vincent’s just so.  She felt her face grow warm, flushed, as her gaze held his for a moment; and then she quickly glanced away, momentarily discomfited by his intense-looking eyes.  Vincent’s crimson gaze was drawing Lucrecia in, and she hadn’t even realized it on a conscious level until now.

_Too bold_ , she scolded herself inwardly.  _Why did I do that? Touch his hand? Was it just….reflex?  Instinct?_   Try as she might to deny it, Lucrecia was simply drawn toward her Turk bodyguard.  She felt incredibly guilty; there was no time in her life for flirting or romance, her work as a researcher was first and foremost –

And yet…and _yet_ , she was human, she was _not_ a machine.  Working in near- isolation as scientists often did, Lucrecia would feel rather lonely on occasion.  What a lovely thing, a simple thing, just sharing a quick lunch and conversation with a friend.

 

The frankness of Lucrecia’s inner dialogue surprised even herself, though she supposed by now, hadn’t Vincent become more than just a passing acquaintance?  How many nights had had stayed beyond his shift, because Lucrecia wasn’t quite done with her experiment or her report; the casual, friendly banter back and forth between the both of them - banter which lately had taken an even friendlier tone.

Yes, Lucrecia supposed that somewhere along the way, Vincent had become more than ‘just a Turk’, or ‘just a bodyguard’ to her.

“The weather has to turn soon, doesn’t it?”  Lucrecia veered her gaze away from Vincent’s, looking out the window at the sodden skies, the drizzle now turned to a downpour.  They gathered the remains of their lunch, disposing of the trash, and Lucrecia smiled up at Vincent as she smoothed out the folds of her lab coat, the professional mask beginning to return once more.

“I do have to get back to my work, but – thank you for lunch, Vincent.  Maybe sometime I’ll surprise you with a picnic lunch, hmm?”   Her smile was somewhere between flirtatious and shy; Lucrecia pulled her safety goggles back on with a grin.

“A picnic?”  Vincent’s handsome face broke into a broad grin.  “Well, now….that is something to look forward to.”   He smiled, gave Lucrecia a little bow before leaving her to return to her work.    “I’ll hold you to it.” 


End file.
